Longest day trip

[91104]

This got me thinking earlier. What's the furthest you can travel in one day and return to your starting destination? As on East Coast you can catch the 07.52 from Aberdeen to Kings Cross arriving at 14.52 which gives you just over an hour to catch some sights before returning on the 16.00 Kings Cross to Aberdeen arriving at 23.12 although even with my free First Class travel it's not a day trip I'd contemplate doing.

 

[bb21]

You may be interested in this thread. Not the same but similar.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

In the past I have done day trips from Epsom / Stoneleigh to Edinburgh, to Glasgow, to Penzance, to Paris... All on separate day trips of course, I hasten to add.

 

[TomJ93]

Cov-Ply with a few hours in dawlish was more than enough for me!


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[SamS]

I've sort of done the trip that you described, a York to Aberdeen day trip.
Left York at 07:37 arriving into Aberdeen 13:03. Then departed Aberdeen at 18:18 arriving back into York at 23:54.

 

[Springs Branch]

This got me thinking earlier. What's the furthest you can travel in one day and return to your starting destination? As on East Coast you can catch the 07.52 from Aberdeen to Kings Cross arriving at 14.52 which gives you just over an hour to catch some sights before returning on the 16.00 Kings Cross to Aberdeen arriving at 23.12 although even with my free First Class travel it's not a day trip I'd contemplate doing.

If you started in the south-east on a line that has close to 24-hour service, and used the "Railway Day" (running from 0430 to 0430 next day) you could extend the London/Aberdeen round trip by a good few miles.

For example, leave Brighton around 0500, take an out-and-back trip to Scotland and be back at Kings Cross in plenty of time for the last train home. Similarly, you could start on the 0430 Portsmouth-Waterloo, and get home on the 2345 Waterloo-Portsmouth.

If you wanted to go hurtling back & forward across France, you could clock up some kilometers considering options in the thread suggested by bb21

 

[starrymarkb]

I've done Devon to Glasgow as a Day trip (not by train though)

 

[steamybrian]

Return trip London To Marseille in Southern France via Eurostar and TGV on the same day

In Britain in one day I have done Tonbridge- Charing Cross (tube) Euston-Glasgow-Edinburgh-Kings Cross (tube) London Bridge-Tonbridge

 

[168lover]

I have done High Wycombe-Paris in one day. Involved getting the 05:40 from St Pancras

 

[Segedunum]

I've done Newcastle-London and back in November. 0600 departure, arrival back at 2110.

 

[crispy1978]

Not quite a single return journey as such, but I am planning a day rover in Merseyside, leaving Scarborough on the first train at 6:30am, and returning at 11:01pm - just over 16.5 hours!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Not exactly long distance but certainly a long day, 04:55 start at Chester then 00:20 arrival back last February on a West Midland Day Ranger.

 

[Kite159]

Longest day for me is the charter I did last month, departed Basingstoke at 5:15, arriving back at ~23:20

Plus 30 minutes driving time each way

Longest non-charter day will probably be something like the trip to North Wales, departed Grateley at 5:59, arrived back at 23:40.
I'm pretty sure I haven't done the 23:40 service from Waterloo (arrival time 1:01) with a 5:27 start yet

 

[Gathursty]

I took the 5:13am from Shrewsbury to Swansea (alone until Llandovery!!) and returned at Shrewsbury at 6.30pm after having breaks at Swansea, Bridgend, Rhoose and Cardiff. I've never had the train to myself for so long.

 

[David Goddard]

I would have thought that that Aberdeen - London and back takes some beating, at 1047 miles, however the following is possible:

0445 Newcastle - Kings Cross (268.5)
0843 Euston - Edinburgh (429)
1451 Edinburgh - Euston (429)
2200 Kings Cross - Newcastle (268.5)
Grand total 1395 miles in 19 hours

There is possibly a way to get to 1500 out there somewhere...

 

[Hadders]

Not the longest trip but I've done Stevenage-Edinburgh and back in the day.

Depart SVG at 0650, arrive EDB 1122
coming back depart EDB 1830, arrive SVG 2307

Over 7 hours in Edinburgh isn't bad for a day trip of c.370 miles each way. I was even able to get the bus from home to the station at both ends!

 

[12CSVT]

I've done Kings Cross to Aberdeen and back in the past.

 

[Crossover]

My longest day was Dewsbury - York - Edinburgh - Glasgow (via AB line) - London Euston - Manchester Piccadilly - Dewsbury - a total of about 900 miles IIRC

Should have been returning via the ECML but delays meant it wasn't possible. Never done so much Pendolino mileage in one day before!

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I can think of three different criteria for what would constitute a day trip

1. Longest journey involving only one train out and one train back-no changes
(Would imagine the Kings Cross - Aberdeen would hold the UK record for that)

2. Longest journey with changes for distance
(Would imagine one of the HS1 Kent destinations to London then Aberdeen and back again may win that one)

3. Longest journey with changes for length of time travelled

 

[Thomas6187]

I'm done Manchester-Penzance and back before

 

[Lrd]

I've done Southampton - Scotland and back in one day (up the East Coast, down the West Coast).

Also done Southampton - Carlisle via London and Leeds before. I often catch the first train of the day (0450 ish) and get back into Southampton at about 1am, there is an 0105 from Waterloo that I could catch but never got round to doing it before.

 

[Kite159]

The longest day in terms of miles (currently) is the 28th June trip to North Wales clocking in at a mere 734 miles (plus 348 chains). 5:59 start, 23:40 finish (including an hour 10 at Crewe plus 40 minutes at Waterloo and 25 minutes at Euston), although I might have beaten that today (time-wise I have, not sure about distance)

Probably the longest I could do in a day (money no object) would be something like GRT to Waterloo, then either up/down on the Virgin non-stop between Euston & Warrington services or up/down on the East Coast (or Grand Central) services to/from York to get non-stop high-speed miles in (or going back/forward on HS1 between Ashford & Stratford several times)

 

[Springs Branch]

I can think of three different criteria for what would constitute a day trip

1. Longest journey involving only one train out and one train back-no changes
(Would imagine the Kings Cross - Aberdeen would hold the UK record for that)

2. Longest journey with changes for distance
(Would imagine one of the HS1 Kent destinations to London then Aberdeen and back again may win that one)

3. Longest journey with changes for length of time travelled

The timing of Kings Cross/Aberdeen through trains doesn't allow an out-and-back day trip starting from London, but it can be done as Aberdeen - London - Aberdeen in one day in current timetable.

Looking at the permutation of an out-and-back journey (not shuttling up and down WCML/ECML/HS1) and using a (hypothetical) Day Return ticket, valid from midnight to 0429 next day, here's a suggestion from this week's timetable.

0106 Exeter St.Davids - Paddington 0523
0730 Kings Cross - Edinburgh 1211
1228 Edinburgh - Stonehaven 1431
Break to buy Fried Mars Bar and Irn Bru.
1510 Stonehaven - Kings Cross 2215
2345 Paddington - Exeter St.Davids 0306
= 1362 miles (not counting Underground transfers)

Unfortunately you can't make Aberdeen the northern destination, unless you have nerves of steel for a +2 connection at ABD.

If you wanted to wing it and risk an excess for travelling 2 minutes beyond validity period of your Day Return ticket, you could use same trains and add another 40 miles:-
dep 0037 Newton Abbot
.......
arr 0431 (+1 day) Newton Abbot
= 1402 miles

 

[Starmill]

No mileage but I have done the 0529 Leeds to Carlisle and back on the 2100 from Edinburgh, arrives around 0040.

Assuming I've not made any mistakes longest day by miles attached. 0600 from Leeds and 2100 from Euston, you can work out the intermediate timings roughly from that (basically an hour to cross London on the return and 10 mins here and there otherwise).

I note, Kite, that my totals are just ever so slightly larger than yours A bit like in the mileage competition! Just to rub it in, I passed your house

I do enjoy a mega-trip, but the nature of it's always solo for me, which makes it not something I wanna do that often, sadly

 

[trevwilliams]

My partner and I did Rochester to Marseille and back last September. 40 minutes in Marseille was just enough time to buy some grub. A long day but great fun.

 

[Techniquest]

I do enjoy a mega-trip, but the nature of it's always solo for me, which makes it not something I wanna do that often, sadly

Meh, I did a 14 day ALR in 2012 (so definitely counts as a mega trip!) either entirely on my own or close to it. Flipping loved it, but then I'm quite happy doing trips on my own!

Another 'mega trip' would be the Benelux Interrail I did last year, did all of that on my own too and absolutely loved it!

As for the longest day trip in mileage terms I've ever done, that's got to be starting from Cardiff at 0400 and ending up in Swansea around 0223 the next day. Well over 1,000 miles scored and whilst it was an exhausting day it was totally worth it, all on HSTs too

 

[Be3G]

Not the longest trip but I've done Stevenage-Edinburgh and back in the day.

Depart SVG at 0650, arrive EDB 1122
coming back depart EDB 1830, arrive SVG 2307

Over 7 hours in Edinburgh isn't bad for a day trip of c.370 miles each way. I was even able to get the bus from home to the station at both ends!

I did something very similar once: Gordon Hill to Edinburgh (via Kings Cross), as a proper day trip with time to spend in the wonderful Scottish city rather than simply a means to have a long train journey. Think I caught roughly the same time trains as you too!

 

[Kite159]

No mileage but I have done the 0529 Leeds to Carlisle and back on the 2100 from Edinburgh, arrives around 0040.

Assuming I've not made any mistakes longest day by miles attached. 0600 from Leeds and 2100 from Euston, you can work out the intermediate timings roughly from that (basically an hour to cross London on the return and 10 mins here and there otherwise).

I note, Kite, that my totals are just ever so slightly larger than yours A bit like in the mileage competition! Just to rub it in, I passed your house

I do enjoy a mega-trip, but the nature of it's always solo for me, which makes it not something I wanna do that often, sadly

So it was you who broke the toilet door

My 2nd longest day is Inverness to Wick, back to Inverness, then down to Dundee via Aberdeen. A very enjoyable day alongside an epic track.

 

[cambsy]

Once many years ago did a ALR and set out to see if could beat the Guinness record for most miles covered in a week by train in UK, didn't do it officially just as an exercise to see what i could do, i managed just over 10,500 miles in the week, averaging over 1500 miles per day.

to do this entailed up and down ECML all day as far as Newcastle,Darlington etc, with as many 20 mins connections as possible, as this was only way to get necessary miles a day, used the ECML because the WCML average speeds were only about 90 mph then, then Lowland sleeper in seats or sleeper, up to or back from Edinburgh 6 nights of the week, pretty much every train was on time all week which was lucky, was a mad and tiring week, but fun to achieve that sort of mileage, i was pretty much up to 168 hours by time got to home station.

 

[Techniquest]

Nice, very nice!

In terms of day trips, I would say my longest was a long time ago now. Late 2004, starting on the 0330 Swansea to London Paddington all the way from one set of blocks to the other, returning home on the very last HST of the day to Swansea, don't think it was 2245 back then but it wasn't too much earlier if it was at all. Got back in at something like 0145 I think, so an outrageously long day!